


The Love Issue

by syriala



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Stiles Stilinski, M/M, saying I love you is difficult
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 23:37:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15896457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/syriala/pseuds/syriala
Summary: Stiles was scared that Peter and Derek would tell him they loved him too, and that he would freeze up just like he had with Alex. That they would get mad, and yell at him, and call him heartless and incapable of love, too. That they would run out on him, just like Alex had.





	The Love Issue

The thing is, Stiles never had a successful relationship. He dated in college and was kinda serious about two guys, but one turned out to be a little bit too controlling once they made their status official and the other, well.

Stiles didn’t like to think about Alex too much, because he was still hurt by that break up, if he was honest. Alex had told Stiles that he loved him, which in itself was fine, but then he had gotten mad when Stiles couldn’t say it back.

So it ended with Alex yelling at him and calling him all names under the sun, before he finally stormed out only to be never seen again.

And Stiles thought that maybe it was strange that he hadn’t been able to say it to Alex. They had been dating for a few months and they were definitely serious about each other. And while Stiles definitely felt something huge and heavy for Alex, he was very reluctant to call it love.

In hindsight it may have been good that they broke up though, Stiles thought as he watched Derek and Peter cook for him.

It wasn’t anything new anymore now, had already been more than half a year since they approached him and asked him out, and while the thing with Alex had been years ago, Stiles still thought back to that more often than not. Especially lately.

Because he was scared.

He was scared that Peter and Derek would tell him they loved him too, and that he would freeze up just like he had with Alex. That they would get mad, and yell at him, and call him heartless and incapable of love, too. That they would run out on him, just like Alex had.

Stiles was startled out of his thoughts when Peter put down a plate in front of him and Derek snuggled up at his side.

“You’re quiet,” Peter observed, and Stiles awkwardly shrugged, trying not to disturb Derek.

“Thinking,” he gave back and reached out for the plate, cause Peter’s food was always amazing.

“Always dangerous,” Derek quipped from the side and Stiles would have swatted his head if he had a free hand.

“About what?” Peter asked as he sat down on the other side of them.

“Nothing at all,” Stiles was quick to say because he didn’t want to even tell them about it. It would be like tempting fate.

“Alright,” Peter said but he narrowed his eyes at him in a way that told Stiles that this wouldn’t be forgotten, and that Peter would get to the root of this problem.

Stiles knew that Peter wouldn’t pry if he really didn’t want him to, so he wasn’t too worried about the whole thing. They ate while watching a movie, which Derek still complained about because he was of the opinion that their perfectly good table in the kitchen was there to use it, and then Peter and Derek brought him home.

Stiles had protested that at first, because his jeep was good to drive, but they reminded him that they would feel better if they knew he made it through his own door without being snatched up on his way there.

Stiles would love to protest against that, if exactly that hadn’t happened a few months back, so he graciously allowed them to pick him up and drive him back home.

When they reached his house, Peter leaned over to kiss him goodbye, before Derek leaned forward from the backseat to do the same, and Stiles found himself thinking that maybe he didn’t even want to go home after all, but then Derek pulled away, knowing smirk on his way too handsome face and Stiles sighed.

“Fine, I’m going,” he said as he opened the door.

“We’ll call you tomorrow,” Peter said before he leaned over for one last kiss.

“We love you,” Derek said from the backseat, just as Stiles was throwing the door closed and before he could in any way react to that, Peter already backed up the car.

And that was good, because Stiles was frozen in place, and he had no idea how he should handle this situation at all.

He just hoped it wouldn’t be too weird seeing them next time.

~*~*~

They didn’t stop.

They kept telling him they loved him, and Stiles would feel pressured by that, except they clearly weren’t expecting to hear it back.

Peter said it when he dropped a kiss to Stiles temple in greeting, and Derek did when he pulled Stiles close on the couch, and then all over again when they cooked and brought him back home, and they were just saying it constantly.

And Stiles would be scared by that, if they weren’t so nonchalant about it.

It had been a big deal with Alex, they had been out on a date, everything was romantic and then once they were back home Alex had told him, taking his hand and demanding his whole attention. It wasn’t like that with Derek and Peter. They just mentioned it all the time, almost like they said it out loud whenever it crossed their minds, and they didn’t even wait for Stiles to say something to it. Sometimes they weren’t even looking at Stiles when they said it.

They said it to each other too, just as absent-mindedly and they clearly didn’t expect an answer from the other either. It was strange, but it also really helped to settle Stiles nerves, because it wasn’t like they were treating him any differently.

But since Stiles was like he was, he could only let it slide for so long, before he had to say something.

“There you go,” Derek said as he handed Stiles a sandwich when he dropped by after classes. “I love you. How was your day?”

Stiles briefly froze up at that, like he always did, and then he put his sandwich down, which Derek immediately frowned at.

“What’s wrong?” he asked and like he had been summoned Peter appeared in the kitchen.

“I’m not ready to say it back,” Stiles choked out, terribly afraid that he was making a big mistake by bringing this up, but he needed them to know. “I can’t say that yet.”

“That’s okay,” Peter reassured him and dropped a kiss into his hair.

“Is it too much if we say it? Because we can stop if it bothers you,” Derek said, and Stiles sighed.

“No, it’s just—I don’t know if I can say it back, ever, and I just don’t want you guys to have expectations.”

Stiles was pretty sure he was in love with both of them, but saying it out loud, putting it into words like that—he wasn’t sure he would ever be ready to do that. He had only ever said it to his mom and dad and never in a romantic way and he wasn’t sure he even could.

He knew that his dad had loved his mom, so much, Stiles still saw that every day, but he also saw how it still hurt his dad, that she wasn’t there anymore even though it had been years now. And Stiles didn’t know if he wanted to end up like that.

They lived dangerous lives and while Peter and Derek might be werewolves and heal quicker than anyone else, they were still always first in a fight. They always got hurt.

“Stiles, we say it because it’s what we feel, and we don’t want to pressure you into anything. We trust you to tell us if it’s too much and we trust you to tell us when you grow tired of us,” Peter calmly explained, and Stiles stared at him.

“You’re trusting that to me?” he asked, with just an edge of hysteria to his voice.

“Of course,” Derek answered, and Stiles threw his hands up in the air.

“I’m just a stupid college student! You do remember that I never had a successful relationship, right? Why the hell would you trust me with that?”

“Well, first of all, I’d say we’re having a pretty successful relationship so far,” Peter started, “and I can’t say I’m too sad about the fact that you never had one before, because otherwise we wouldn’t have gotten to snatch you up.”

“And of course we trust you with that, we have to trust you to tell us if something is too much, or you don’t want something,” Derek went on, picking right up where Peter left off.

“That’s a rule for the bedroom,” Stiles immediately shot back, and Peter rolled his eyes.

“It’s a rule for every aspect of a relationship, sweetheart. It’s what makes it a good relationship.”

“But I’m not a good boyfriend if I can’t say it back, am I?” Stiles wanted to know, even though he was dreading the answer.

“You are a perfect boyfriend,” Derek seriously told him and when Stiles started to shake his head in denial, Peter chimed in.

“You take care of us, and you provide for us. And you let us do the same for you. Plus, you know how to get Derek out of a funk, you can even make him laugh, which is no small feat,” Peter said and expertly dodged Derek’s half-hearted swat at him. “You remember that my right side is more sensitive than the left, and you remember our triggers.”

“Who the fuck doesn’t remember someone’s triggers?” Stiles demanded to know, quietly furious at just the thought of someone not doing that and he was absolutely ready to smack some sense into people when Derek shrugged.

“A lot of the people I was with in New York didn’t remember. Or they thought it wasn’t important and serious enough to respect them,” he said, though he sounded small when he said it, like maybe he was even believing that.

“That is some absolute bullshit,” Stiles almost yelled and started to pace. “I bet they asked you to remember and respect the fact that they didn’t like some stupid food, and really, the concept here is the same. What assholes!”

“See, good boyfriend,” Peter said with a small smile but when Stiles narrowed his eyes at him he got serious. “Stiles, listen. If you don’t feel the same, that’s fine. We don’t need to hear it back as long as you’re honest about if you want to be with us. If you’re not saying it out of fear, that’s also fine because it’s a big thing and it can be scary. If you’re not saying it because you’re afraid one of us will get hurt, or die, I’d advise you to rethink that, because there can be a lot of regret in your future if that is the case, and I don’t want that for you,” Peter explained and Stiles could only stare in surprise at him.

Trust Peter to hone right in on the issue at hand.

“But we never expect to hear it back just we are saying it, and we’re not trying to goad you into saying it either. It’s your decision,” Derek continued, and Stiles wondered if they had talked about this before, because they were really good at finishing the other’s thought.

“And besides, this whole ‘I said it, so you have to say it’ thing is bullshit, I don’t say you look hot to hear it back either,” Peter said and startled Stiles into a laugh.

“Oh, but you do fish for compliments all the time,” Stiles gave back, and Derek nodded his agreements.

“But he’ll have to live with the fact that I’m way hotter,” Derek said and then dropped the previously forgotten sandwich back into Stiles’ hand. “Now eat up, while I look what I can whip up for dinner.”

“I do want to be with you, you know,” Stiles lowly said, deliberately not looking at either of them.

“And that’s all we need to hear,” Derek gave back and reeled Stiles in for a kiss. “I love you. And now stop worrying over this.”

“Alright,” Stiles said back, just a little bit pleased that they wouldn’t stop saying it.

“We all know I’m prettier than you,” Peter said, sounding slightly miffed and Stiles looked up just in time to see Derek kiss him as well.

“You’re not but I still love you,” he told him, and retreated into the kitchen before Peter could react to that.

Peter glared after him before he turned around to Stiles.

“No pressure on the love issue,” he reiterated, and Stiles nodded.

He trusted them, and he believed them. And maybe Peter might have even been right with what he said, and Stiles was just afraid because of stupid reasons. Maybe Stiles would even be able to say it to them given enough time.

But for now it was enough to know that they were in a very successful relationship, and right where they all wanted to be.


End file.
